Course of Events 1: Out of Line
by Higuchimon
Summary: [au: breeds] During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,108|| **story:** 1,108  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead into an alternate timeline for 02.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Very few people in Odaiba understood what was going on with the monsters that currently roamed the area, snatching up everyone that they saw and gathering them together. The ones who did understand didn't really have the time to explain it to anyone else, since they were too busy running from the monsters themselves, or fighting them, depending on if they had their own personal monster with them or not.

Motomiya Daisuke didn't have a personal monster and he also didn't understand what was going on, aside from the fact that one of those ghost monsters had a grip on his arm and was dragging him away from his parents and sister.

"Let me go!" He battered at the creature holding him with his other arm. "Let me go right now or _else_!"

"Be quiet and you'll be done sooner," the ghost told him, still dragging him along. Two of its buddies kept his parents and Jun back, and the farther the one ghost dragged him, the less he could see of them.

That really didn't make this any better. He didn't _like_ his sister, of course: he didn't know anyone who had a brother or sister who actually liked them. But he didn't want to get taken away from them either. How was Jun going to know how much he didn't like her if he wasn't around to tell her that all the time?

But no matter how hard he tried to get away, he still found himself shoved into a line with a lot of other kids about his age. There weren't any parents in sight there either. Just a lot more monsters standing here and there in the line, keeping an eye on the kids.

Daisuke looked up and down the line, shuffling along whenever someone at the head of it moved. He couldn't tell from here what was going on there. The closer he got, though, the more monsters he could see, and all of them looked worried about something.

He moved around a corner and now he could see the head of the line. What caught his eye first was what looked like a little cat standing there, standing on her hind legs, shoulders drooping, but head up enough so she could see each kid in the line. Every time one came up to her, she shook her head, and the kid was urged on by the monsters.

Then Daisuke saw what was standing next to her, and absolute terror closed a clawed hand around his throat.

 _Vampire._

He'd snuck out of his room one night a while back and watched a vampire movie on the family TV. This one didn't look _exactly_ like the vampire he'd seen there, but it was close enough. This guy wore the same type of fancy outfit, with a long cape and high boots. What really sealed the deal for Daisuke was that he had _fangs_. Sharp ones, though not as big as the nightmares Daisuke had after watching that movie. But he didn't doubt that they could bite him just as well.

The monsters watching didn't seem to care that he wanted to get out of there. He wasn't the only kid staring at the vampire in fear, either. Most of them were, and the ones that weren't...well, Daisuke didn't know why they weren't, but he kind of envied them.

So many of them stared at the vampire and he didn't look back at any of them, all of his focus turned on the cat next to him. Daisuke really felt sorry for her. He didn't know who they were looking for, but whenever they found that kid, they were in for a lot of trouble.

Ever so slowly, Daisuke drew closer to the cat and the vampire, and each step he took, he took with even less enthusiasm than the one before it. That wasn't like him; he normally ran headlong into whatever was going on and let the chips fall where they wanted to. But the closer he got to that vampire, the less he wanted to be there. Every inch of his skin crawled and he made certain to look at anything _but_ the vampire.

 _It won't be that bad,_ he told himself. _It'll be just like everyone else. I get up there and she shakes her head and then I go away._ The line of rejected kids led out one of the other doors and he couldn't see where they went. It counted as 'away from the vampire' and that was good enough for Daisuke.

Then only a few kids were in front of him. Then just two. And one.

"Not him," he heard the cat say, and was too surprised at the sound of a cat talking to do anything else but start to move on, thrilled that he'd gotten away without any harm.

He hadn't taken two complete steps away when a mesmerizing voice spoke. "Stop."

And Daisuke did just that. His body decided in the space of one word not to obey him at all, but to listen to that voice. His stomach dropped out of sight and his throat closed even tighter, the fear too strong for him to move even if he'd been capable of it.

At least until the voice spoke again. "Come here, boy."

"I told you he's not the one," the cat spoke up, every bit as confused as Daisuke was. Well, maybe _almost_ as confused. Daisuke wasn't going to start comparing notes with it.

"I know what you said." It was the vampire. The vampire had control of his body. Daisuke didn't know if he wanted to scream and try to run away or shrink as best he could and pretend he wasn't there at all. It didn't matter that he couldn't choose, not when his body simply walked over to the vampire and a set of gloved fingers tilted his head back and ice-blue eyes stared down at him.

Daisuke stared back, hoping that whatever the vampire wanted, he would decide Daisuke couldn't give it, and would let him go along with the rest of the children who were even now being dismissed as 'not the one' by the cat as well.

"Take him there," the vampire ordered after a few silent moments of staring, nodding toward one of the other monsters. This one wore a rich red robe and carried a huge scythe, which didn't make Daisuke any happier. "I'll inspect him more closely later. Make certain he's there when I'm ready."

"Yes, Vamdemon-sama," the scythe wielding ghost bobbed in a bow, then took hold of Daisuke and guided him away.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 2: 1,165|| **story:** 2,273 **Genre:** Adventure, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Vamdemon's thoughts strayed back over and over to the human waiting for his attention. Attempting to locate the Eighth Child took up the majority of his focus still, but whispers of curiosity about the boy waiting for him still flickered their way into his mind.

The moment he'd laid eyes on that child he'd sensed something unusual about him. It wasn't the same kind of _difference_ that made a Chosen Child, but something unusual all the same. Something that made him want to investigate further, until he'd exhausted his curiosity.

He would have to take care of this soon, though. He didn't have as much time as he wanted to follow up every mildly interesting situation, not with those Chosen Children wandering the area and causing problems. Why they seemed to think they should stop him from ruling this world and killing one of those who could stop him was beyond Vamdemon's understanding.

Phantomon emerged from where he'd stashed the boy and floated over to his master. "He is taken care of, Vamdemon-sama," he reported.

"Good. You watch over this and let me know if anything interesting turns up here." By which he meant Tailmon confessing to the identity of the Eighth Child. He still was more than a little peeved that the servant he'd raised and trained for so long turned out to be a traitor. There would be a special punishment in mind for her once he had that particular child in hand.

For now, however, he headed to where a different child waited. The room wasn't all that large, but it was decently furnished, by human standards. The boy sat on an upholstered chair, swinging his legs, but the moment Vamdemon appeared, he leaped to his feet.

"Let me go! Right now!"

If he wasn't a Chosen Child, then he certainly had the makings of one, showing no fear in the face of a being who could dispose of him in a matter of seconds. Vamdemon ignored the demands to be released and silenced the brat with the simple grip of one hand on his chin.

He stared down into those eyes, easily forging his way into the child's mind and memories, searching for the answers he desired. Surely this boy would know what made him different and what he knew, Vamdemon would know.

But no matter where the vampire searched and no matter what he tried, he could not find those answers. The child did _not_ know he was in any way different from those around him. Yet he was. Vamdemon could feel it even as he moved through the vaults of his captive's mind.

 _His difference isn't something he knows. It's something that he is,_ Vamdemon began to realize. If his memories held anything of it, they were buried so deep that not even his power could get to them.

Which offered him one another avenue that could hold answers. It could perhaps be risky, but if it failed, then he could at least say he'd had a good meal out of it.

The boy still tried to pound on him with small fists, but Vamdemon ignored that in favor of tilting the child's head to the side, keeping him still now. He hadn't fed on many humans since his arrival in this world but he knew what they tasted like and he'd found he could learn a great deal from them by their blood alone.

Vamdemon ignored the terrified whimpers, save for imagining how the fear would flavor the blood, as his fangs slowly slipped into the human child's neck. At first the boy struggled a bit more, then as more blood began to drip into Vamdemon's mouth, he stopped, trembling.

 _Delicious._ That was Vamdemon's first impression. He'd never tasted anything like this in all of his days. Another thought came fast and hard upon that one.

 _Powerful!_ Power such as he had never imagined coursed through that blood. This wasn't a human child, no matter how much he looked like one.

Vamdemon forced himself to pull back, when what he really wanted to do was drain the child dry, see if he could recover, and do it all over again. He licked his lips clean of the tiniest drops and stared down at the boy, who didn't move a muscle. He still breathed, though, his chest rising and falling in quivering hitches.

 _He is not human._ Once again the thought rose, firmer and more certain than ever before. But he also wasn't a normal Digimon. The fact he _looked_ so human at all spoke clearly to that score.

He tossed the child over onto the chair and studied him from a distance, attempting to figure out the answers just by staring at him.

 _If I were in the Digital World and had access to my books, then perhaps then I could do it._ His library held a great deal of information on Digimon of all kinds. It was there he'd first gained the idea to lure a human woman through a crack in reality and attempt something few had, to his knowledge.

His lips curved in memory of that. He would have to recruit his son at some point as well. One less Chosen Child and one more on his side could never hurt.

But that would come shortly enough. For now, he had this new thing to worry and play with.

 _If I can't do it, then who can?_ All of his warriors were either too busy or not of the proper mindset to manage this in the most efficient manner. The sooner that he could identify exactly who had sired or bred this child, the sooner he would know how to turn all of this to his advantage.

His lips thinned suddenly. As much as it would be distasteful to do so, he knew what he would have to do. Distasteful, annoying, and it would take time he didn't know if he had to waste. But he would _not_ just let this child's potential be ignored. Power of this type should be nurtured and trained to its fullest potential, not left to wither and dry up.

Slowly the child twitched. Vamdemon's eyes widened a fraction behind his mask. _I took so much from him. If he were human, he would've died. But he's already moving again._ If he hadn't already guessed from the taste of the blood, this alone would've convinced him of the child's true nature.

Swifter than a thought, Vamdemon moved over, caught the child by the chin, and looked into his bleary eyes. "Sleep," he murmured. "Sleep until you are told to awaken."

He expected resistance. The child was fierce enough before, after all. Instead, as if too tired to even think of disobeying, he closed his eyes and slipped into the commanded slumber. Vamdemon chose not to argue over this. He had an important message to send and not much time to send it in.

And he hated talking to Piemon anyway.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,117|| **story:** 3,390  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

"This had better be important." Piemon hadn't expected to hear from Vamdemon at all until the conquest of Earth was decided. Not just because Vamdemon would be very busy managing said conquest, but because the time difference between the two worlds would make it incredibly difficult.

He hadn't counted on Vamdemon having a few extra tricks up his sleeve that made communication easier. Piemon paid little attention to just how those tricks worked, more because he had his own world conquest to deal with than anything else. There would be time enough to delve into them later.

But now Vamdemon had sent a message and Piemon wanted to know what it was that was so important the vampire could take time away from what he should've been doing for this.

"There's a child here. I don't believe he is one of the Chosen Children, but he's not like them or like the humans." Vamdemon hesitated only for a single heartbeat. "He tastes like a Digimon. A very _powerful_ Digimon at that."

Well. That _was_ interesting. Piemon considered what to do about this for only a second or two. "You don't have the resources to find out what he is there, do you?"

"No." Vamdemon did not like admitting that, either. But he'd gone only with the intent of taking the world for his own, not for locating those who might be the rare offspring of human and Digimon.

Though all of Piemon's own research into the subject told him that one born of those two lines merging would not register as a Digimon without having spent significant time in the Digital World itself. One of the Chosen might, but a child who had presumably spent his entire life on Earth?

"Send him here. I'll deal with him." There were few very powerful Digimon who would be capable or desirous of mating with humans, who very seldom found their way into their world anyway, especially ones of age to bear or sire offspring. It wouldn't take Piemon all that much time to find out who this child was and if he could be useful to them in any way whatsoever.

Vamdemon bowed his head at once. Piemon smirked; he was the only one who Vamdemon submitted to and he wanted to keep it that way. "He'll be on the way soon."

Piemon nodded, cutting off the communications spell at once. He could still observe what was going on there on Earth, and he did keep tabs on what Vamdemon and his enemies were doing. But the sooner Vamdemon could get the child over here, the quicker they could find out what was going on there.

"Piemon-sama?" LadyDevimon rose up near him, curiosity glinting in her eyes. "You spoke with Vamdemon?"

She would've noted the communications connection. He didn't have servants with more hair than wit.

"Yes. He's found something interesting on Earth." Quickly he outlined what Vamdemon told him. She nodded, curiosity changing to thoughtfulness. Piemon leaned forward. "Would you know anything of this?"

LadyDevimon tilted her head before shaking it. "No, my lord. I was wondering what kind of preparations we would need to make for the child."

That hadn't occurred to Piemon. All that he'd wondered about in these passing moments had been what he would need to do to ascertain his ancestry.

"He might not be here long," Piemon pointed out. "If he's not as powerful as Vamdemon thinks he is, I have no reason to keep him around."

LadyDevimon nodded at once, lounging in the air next to him. "But if he is?"

"Then I'll keep him." Piemon didn't need to think to decide that. "I could use a new servant to help me." The idea of raising one up himself, trained and schooled to never disobey, and all the potential power that such a being could have, appealed to him more and more as he considered it.

He wanted that child to have the power Vamdemon claimed that he did, Piemon decided. It wouldn't matter who had bred him, so long as Piemon _owned_ him.

With a flip of one hand, Piemon dismissed his servant and headed toward his laboratory. He'd spent many hours here learning about how the structure of humans and Digimon could combine and what was likely to result from said combining. Most of what he'd learned remained in the realm of the theoretical, since those who'd been bred of the two lines hadn't yet reached an age where they could be useful in battle.

He did so look forward to facing his own son across the battlefield when the time came. He'd made plans for what to do when the Chosen returned to the Digital World and snatching his little Anbumon came first and foremost.

For now, though, he checked over all of his supplies and read through his notes once again to refresh himself. Everything he'd noted that could be a hint as to the existence of a crossbreed needed to be fresh in his mind. At the least it would give him an idea of what to expect from this child.

 _Devimon. Vamdemon. Myself. All three of us sired children upon human women._ He smiled for a moment. He'd done it twice. Both of his sons would return to the Digital World in due time and rule by his side. He'd made certain of that.

From the moment he'd realized Gennai's plans to combat him with those who bore Digimon blood, he'd schemed himself on how to counter those. Gennai did not know nearly as much as he did about what could be done with the proper upbringing and training.

But the more he read, the more he became certain: none of the other Digimon in the world were inclined to create children for any reason. It was a rare thing even among them, and his only reason had been to make certain Vamdemon didn't do something that he couldn't. Devimon's child hardly even registered in his mind as useful.

And yet, this new child existed all the same. So either he'd missed someone who carried the proper attitude or – unthinkable! - he'd made a mistake somewhere.

Piemon's jaw set and he shook his head. That wasn't even possible. Someone had simply concealed their antics with a human and he would find out who it was and see to it that their deception was paid for.

The tingle of power, of a barrier between the worlds being briefly opened, alerted him. He'd not paid much attention to time as he'd read and researched. Vamdemon's little find had arrived.

Time to go find out just who this new arrival was, and what Piemon could shape him into being.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 4: 1,103|| **story:** 4,493  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Piemon hadn't let himself expect anything in particular when it came to Vamdemon's find. Humans came in so many shapes and sizes that just saying 'child' didn't really mean anything. He could think of seven or eight different samples of children, all of which were different from one another, without a bit of effort.

So it was with no expectations at all, aside from the potential for amazing power, that he paced around the sleeping child where he lay in one of his receiving rooms. LadyDevimon had carried him there after his arrival through the portal, and Piemon noted right away the signs of Vamdemon's control over the boy. It wasn't strong and likely was there just to keep him from running away.

Piemon had his own methods for doing that.

He worked his spells carefully, casting them to identify the difference in Digimon data and human data. There was a third variant to identify half-breeds, but given how strong Vamdemon said the child was, he wanted to get that much cleared up right away.

LadyDevimon stood in the room's only exit, waiting and watching as patiently as stone itself. Piemon approved of that; she would be vital in keeping the brat under control once he saw fit to revive him. He might even call in the other Dark Masters, though at the moment, he didn't think that would be necessary. A child was a child, no matter what data made them up.

Minute by minute, the results of the spell came filtering back. The corner of Piemon's mouth quirked as he read them carefully.

"Piemon-sama?" LadyDevimon tilted her head a fraction. "What is it?"

"Someone is trying to deceive me and I doubt it's Vamdemon." Piemon considered the boy again, pacing around him once again, now turning his attention to other methods. "The spell attempted to tell me that he's little more than a human brat. But there are oddities in it that tell me otherwise."

"Such as?"

"To begin with, Vamdemon's ability to taste power in blood." Piemon stared down at the child. As much as he mocked Vamdemon when the moment struck him, he acknowledged the other's ability to sense power. "The concealing spells are already weakening and seem set to do so when he's in the Digital World anyway, as if being here breaks it down automatically."

And wasn't that interesting. Who would attempt to hide someone in a world of Digimon? And what would they attempt to hide?

 _Another Digimon,_ he mused on the 'what' first. _A powerful Digimon. One that they don't want to have known for their strength._

As for who? He could guess that easily enough, having had it happen twice over to him. Gennai. Gennai, who thought it the height of humor to conceal his sons from him similarly. As if Piemon couldn't tell his own blood when he saw it.

But this boy here wasn't his blood. It _was_ Digimon blood. Regardless of what the informational spells said, he knew it. He would have to go deeper, learn more.

It was a challenge. Piemon liked challenges, to a certain extent. Not so much that he wanted to meet one he couldn't unravel, but he liked to spar his wits against someone and see how long it took him to find the key in their strategy.

He already knew enough about how Gennai worked to figure out some of the details here. Now he just needed to put all the pieces into the right positions.

* * *

LadyDevimon did not take her eyes away from the child as he continued to sleep. Vamdemon's instructions informed them that he would remain like that until someone commanded him to wake up. So far as she was concerned, he could sleep until Piemon-sama wanted him to wake up.

She'd never studied the kinds of abilities that Piemon now put to use in unraveling the web of mystery that surrounded the child. Her task and focus had always been to protect Piemon. Not that he needed much protection, but her doing so left him more time to accomplish far more important tasks, such as conquering the Digital World and searching for ways to defeat the Chosen should they return to Earth.

 _This could be key to that._ It was an interesting thought. With the way time was different between the two worlds, there was a good chance that the boy could grow up to be a worthy warrior before the Chosen arrived. Piemon would certainly do his best to arrange that, if it were worth the trouble.

But her attention kept resting back on the boy for another reason, one that she could not completely understand. Something in the structure of his bones, in the tilt of his head as he slept, it reminded her of someone. Or perhaps something. She wasn't entirely certain of which and it disturbed her to know that she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Interesting," Piemon-sama murmured, having worked yet more ways to identify his data. "I can be certain now of just this: he is not a half-breed. There's no true taint of humanity in his blood at all. He is like you or me: a pure Digimon."

One hand rested on the child's shoulder, but not in a way that would be comforting at all.

"Do you know what level he is?" LadyDevimon wondered. She took another look; that haunting familiarity nagged at her. She wanted to know what it was, just for her own peace of mind.

"At the moment, I believe he is like you, of the Perfect level. His power sleeps for now, though." Piemon turned a very possessive look down on him. "I think I'm going to keep him."

LadyDevimon nodded; she'd suspected as much already. "What will you call him?" If he were a Digimon, then he needed a true Digimon name, and not whatever collection of nonsense the humans called him.

"I haven't decided." Piemon regarded the child again, then gave her a curious look. "What would _you_ call him?"

The fallen angel blinked at the question; she'd never thought of it before. But she turned her gaze back onto the child and a name rose to her lips without her own bidding.

"Akigaramon." Yes. That was who he was. Not something she chose, but what he _was_. An empty shell, to be filled as the one who owned him chose.

Piemon repeated the name, a cruel smile on his lips. "I think that will do nicely." He folded his arms over his chest and nodded one more time. "Awaken, Akigaramon, and serve your new master."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,143|| **story:** 5,636  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Daisuke stirred, fingers brushing against something so comfortable and soft that he guessed right away that he wasn't at home. He wished he were; he would understand being at home. He could understand Jun being a pain, because she was his sister and that was what she was. He could understand parents being unreasonable because that was what _they_ were.

What he couldn't understand were all those monsters and what he really didn't understand was why there were two more when he opened his eyes and looked around. One of them looked like a _clown_ , and Daisuke didn't like him at once. He'd never liked clowns. He wasn't afraid of them, not like Jun teased him about, but he just didn't like them at all.

He really didn't like this one because he had a mask covering most of his face, which not only reminded Daisuke of that vampire monster, but it meant that Daisuke couldn't _see_ his face. Daisuke's dad had taught him this: if you can't see someone's face and there's not a really good reason for it, then don't trust them. Daisuke hadn't yet run across anything that made him think differently. The clown wasn't doing anything to change that.

The other monster wasn't quite as scary, though it had nothing to do with her being a woman monster. He kind of thought she looked scarier _being_ one, but the clown still had her beat in general. She looked down at him with a kind of expression that he'd never seen before and wasn't all that sure that he wanted to see now.

"Who are you?" he asked, pushing himself up so he could look around. This was a really strange room and the more he saw of it, the more he wanted to look and see what else was there. It kind of reminded him of a doctor's office, with all kinds of tubes and bottles and dusts on certain things and not on others. Only it didn't _smell_ like a doctor's office, not that sharp scent that got right up your nose and didn't want to get out. Instead there was a different odor that reminded him of some of his mom's herbal teas.

The woman monster's lips twitched for a moment. "I am LadyDevimon. And this is Piemon-sama, your new master." She indicated the clown.

Master? What?

Daisuke bounced up to his feet, throwing his chest out and glaring with the full weight of an eight year old's anger. "No way!" He'd seen movies! He knew what 'master' meant and he wasn't going to spend all of his time scrubbing floors and hauling away trash.

"Yes, indeed, child," the clown spoke and Daisuke really didn't like him even more when he did. "You are my servant now."

Daisuke folded his arms over his chest, ground his heels into the floor, and shook his head until he thought it might fall off. "Nope. Not gonna. Can't make me."

Both of the monsters looked at each other, and Daisuke couldn't help but be a little reminded now of his parents when he was being stubborn about something. They hadn't seen anything yet. His mom and dad both told him that he could be as stubborn as the day was long and he had yet to see the sun go down.

"Where am I? I want to go home!" And he had a beautiful tantrum lined up for if he couldn't. He didn't normally plan them out ahead of time, but this one was taking shape in his head already and it would be a shame to not use it.

Piemon gave him a look far sterner than anything his father had ever done. "Akigaramon, I am your master and you will do exactly as you are told. That isn't a request. You _are_ home now, and this is where you will remain until I decide otherwise."

Daisuke tilted his head at the strange collection of noises that had come out of Piemon's mouth. "Aki-who? My name is Motomiya Daisuke."

What he didn't want to tell them was the moment he'd heard the word, if it really was a word, a kind of dread unlike anything he'd ever felt before swept through him. It had nothing to do with being grounded or any sort of punishment that he could ever think of. It was just sheer _fear_ of hearing that word addressed to him. SO he dismissed it even _as_ a word, much less as a name. It wasn't. And even if it was, it wasn't _his_ name.

"Your name is Akigaramon. It is the name you should have as a Digimon," LadyDevimon told him. Daisuke shook his head.

"It's probably a really cool Digimon name," he said, lying through his teeth, "but I'm not a Digimon and I've already got a name."

He squealed a heartbeat later when Piemon's hand buried itself in his hair, yanking his head back. Insane scarlet eyes stared down at him and Daisuke was hard-pressed to do anything but stare at them.

"You are a Digimon. You are a very powerful Digimon who needs to learn how to use his powers, and how to obey _me_. I am the ruler of the Digital World, and all Digimon do as I tell them. And that includes _you_." His grip tightened as Daisuke did his best to squirm away. Not that his best accomplished much, but he tried anyway. "The first thing I'm going to teach you is your name. You will answer to it and to no other. And your name is _Akigaramon._ "

Daisuke shook his head what little bit that he could. "Motomiya Daisuke!" He could be stubborn. He would be stubborn. No matter what it took.

Piemon shook him back and forth like a dog with a ragged toy. "Akigaramon."

Still Daisuke wasn't going to give ground on this. Perhaps he would've fought even harder, if his stomach hadn't suddenly rumbled, reminding him that it had been too long since he'd last had something to eat. Since before he and his family had been taken from their apartment, and he had no idea of how long ago _that_ had been.

He kind of didn't appreciate the timing, either, since Piemon suddenly turned to LadyDevimon. "Take him to one of the cells. Put someone trustworthy on guard."

"Hey!" Daisuke squirmed more, kind of wanting their attention now. In a way. "Can't I get something to eat around here?"

Piemon turned another look on him and all hope of dinner dropped away from Daisuke. "We don't have food for humans here. We only have food for Digimon. Are you a Digimon?"

"Of course not!" Daisuke spat the answer out without thinking. Piemon's smile sent chills throughout him.

"Then I'm afraid that you won't eat. Do let us know if you change your mind, though. Akigaramon."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,194|| **story:** 6,830  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an alternate timeline for Digimon Adventure 02.  
 **Extra Note:** To the anon reviewer who signs as 'Confused': _**There are no romances in this story at all.**_ There especially wouldn't be one with Daisuke, since he is _**eight years old**_. That's it.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Piemon knew that he had two sons of his own, Anbumon and Akogimon. He looked forward to recruiting them both when the time came and unleashing the kind of fury that only those of his blood could master upon the Digital World, and upon Gennai most of all. The Chosen would be much less of a problem; enough of them carried viral blood that he would be able to tame them as well, and they would serve him as his sons did. The ones who didn't wouldn't be an issue either. He had no doubts that he could defeat them in good time. But Gennai deserved to be crushed and reformatted until there was nothing at all left of him.

But having sired two sons didn't meant that Piemon knew what it was like to raise children at all. He hadn't even seen his sons being born, since both their mothers gave birth on Earth.

 _How do humans do this?_ Piemon confessed himself to be fairly well baffled after only two days. Akigaramon refused to eat. He would take only a little water, which Piemon made certain he had so the foolish child wouldn't collapse, but that was it.

He observed the child in a viewing sphere, focused on the small cell that he'd stayed since Piemon dismissed him. The boy leaned up against the back wall, eyes closed, singing some kind of nonsense song to himself. He'd done that over and over since being put in there.

 _He needs to know what he is. He needs to_ _ **believe**_ _in what he is._ If he could do that, convince the stubborn child that he truly was a Digimon and in desperate need of his powers being controlled and trained, then it would be a step forward.

After that, the logic was simple. If Akigaramon needed his powers trained, then he needed to know that he had them. And the easiest way to do that would be to force them into awakening. He hadn't wanted to; he'd wanted the brat to learn to obey him, and then they could work on his abilities. But given how stubborn he was, perhaps the rough course was the best after all.

The plan formed itself with little more than that. Piemon did not discuss it with anyone else. Even LadyDevimon would be in the dark on this. He'd wasted two days already, two days that could've been used to _much_ more profit than what had happened.

It took one more day to get everything set up the way that he wanted it. Then he stalked down to the brat's cell and swung the door open.

A thrown shoe greeted him, nearly hitting him in the face, if he hadn't knocked it aside almost automatically. His eyes flared scarlet as he stared down at the brat.

"And what was _that_ about?"

Akigaramon shrugged, a smug little smirk on his lips. "I want to go home. You're not letting me. Why shouldn't I throw something at you?"

 _I should've had him chained up._ Piemon tossed the shoe back to him. "Put that on. You're going to need it."

Akigaramon didn't move, but just stared back at him. "What are you talking about?"

Oh, Piemon did like it when people, human or Digimon, stared at him in such fear. He smiled. "I'm not going to send you back to Earth, but I will let you out of the castle. For a little while."

"Little while?"

Piemon shrugged, starting to turn away. "How long you're out depends on you and what you do." He could almost feel the questions leaking off of the child. "Come along if you want answers. Unless you'd like to spend another day sitting here in the dark."

He wasn't at all surprised to hear quick feet pattering alongside of him as he made his way through the corridors. Curiosity and boredom made for an interesting combination, as did the kind of raw hunger the other had to be dealing with.

That reminded him of something else, and he made a quick detour by the kitchens. The odors that wafted outward proved the skills of his chefs, even from something as simple as the loaf of bread he acquired and tossed toward the child.

"Eat. You're going to need all of your strength." More so than the child realized, Piemon knew, but why spoil the surprise?

If he'd tried that a day before, he wondered if Akigaramon would've even accepted it. But the longer hunger reigned, the more satisfying that hunger became important. The boy ate the bread, tearing into it as he scuttled alongside of Piemon once more.

 _It's a beginning._ A small one, but even without being aware of it, Akigaramon bent a little to Piemon's will. He would soon bend much, much more.

At last they came to a doorway, and on the other side there stretched a long plain of grass, with forested hills just within sight.

"You can wander around in here all you like." Piemon gestured to the expanse. From here, it was the most pleasant of views, soft and gentle and harmless.

"I don't believe you." Akigaramon eyed Piemon, then the lawn, then back to Piemon, gripping the remains of his bread in one hand.

 _Smart boy. Good._ Piemon didn't like having idiots in his service. Pinnochimon filled that role very well. "I'm not lying. You can stay out here as long as you like. But there are conditions."

The boy's face was a complete study in _I knew it_. Piemon turned his attention to the scenery before them.

"You will want to come back inside sooner or later. But the door will only open under two conditions." Piemon twisted one hand around and a drawing appeared in it, one he'd worked on quite hard. It displayed Akigaramon on his knees by the door, with a speech bubble coming up from his lips, reading _I'm Akigaramon, master, please let me in!_ "First, you call yourself by your true name."

Akigaramon rolled his eyes and shook his head. Piemon ignored that and continued, switching to the next picture. This one showed Akigaramon with power rays all around his hands, looking amazed at himself, and staring up at the stylized image of Piemon standing above him with a proud tilt to his head.

"The second is that you must demonstrate your powers before I will let you back inside. You are a Digimon, Akigaramon, and you will admit it before you step back into my home."

He tucked the pictures into a slot outside of the door and gestured Akigaramon on out. "And there's one other thing, but it relates to the first two."

The boy let out a long-suffering sigh clearly meant to convey how tiresome all of this was. "What?"

"Survive."

Piemon closed the door and locked it, leaving Akigaramon alone with a double dozen of the fiercest Digimon that he could find in his service.

What woke a Digimon's true power was the need to defend. Piemon looked forward to seeing how long it took the boy to understand this when he had no one but himself to depend upon.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,127|| **story:** 6,830  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an alternate timeline for Digimon Adventure 02.  
 **Extra Note:** To the anon review 'Confused': _**GENFIC**_! That means no romance of _any kind whatsoever_. The sequel, taking place in 02, will have Ken x Daisuke. Daisuke is not and never will be 'madly in love with Hikari' in this course of events.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Daisuke huddled under a tree. He didn't know what kind of a tree it was, only that the leaves were big and broad enough to protect him from the rain that poured down in large sheets and that none of the monsters there seemed to notice him while he was next to it.

He hadn't been dry since about ten minutes after the clown monster put him out here. The clouds just opened up and all the rain came down. He'd found what shelter he could after a few minutes of pounding on the big door that hadn't done anything but hurt his hands.

 _I'm going to die._ He sniffled for a moment before iron resolution took the place of sorrow. _No. I won't give him the satisfaction._

Even at the age of eight, Daisuke could be the very incarnation of stubbornness. Some things would never change, no matter what happened to him.

He set his jaw and stared around him. There had to be something that he could do. He just didn't know what it was. But it had to be more than just sit here and wait for the clouds to clear or for some monster to see him there. And that would happen; all the monsters were here because that nasty clown _wanted_ them to be here, because he wanted Daisuke to be his _servant_.

Motomiya Daisuke wasn't anyone's servant. Not now and not ever.

Movement came from deeper in the woods, heavy noises that reminded him way too much of monster movies that he'd watched when he wasn't supposed to. Noises kinda like footsteps.

Footsteps coming his way.

He peered into the shadows of the forest, trying to get an idea of what it was, before slowly reviving instincts told him that it didn't matter what it was, what he needed to do was get to where it couldn't see him.

Up the tree.

In a matter of seconds he'd scampered up as far as he could, hiding himself behind the branches up there. Height was safety, those same instincts told him. It would be better if he could fly away altogether. That would really be safe. Fly away somewhere safe…

 _I can't fly. I don't have wings._ Daisuke shook his head, trying to clear it of the weird thoughts that wanted to slip in there. Climbing was good, yeah, and if he _could_ fly it would be even better, but he couldn't. So he'd do what he could do.

He peeked down through the leaves and saw a huge four-legged armored monster, all gray scales and muscles, making its way to a thread of a stream Daisuke had seen earlier. He didn't know what to call it, other than something he wouldn't have wanted to have mad at him.

Daisuke leaned his head against the trunk of the tree and breathed out a small, quiet breath. _What am I gonna do? I want to go_ _ **home**_ _._

But he didn't know how to get there. He barely even knew where he was or what was going on, other than what those mean monsters told him. And he didn't trust them at all.

At least not for some things. He was pretty sure that the clown monster would do as he'd said and let Daisuke back in if he said he was a 'Digimon'. Which he wasn't. So that was right out.

This was all so _confusing_. Daisuke banged his head on the tree trunk and wished that he knew what was going on. He didn't _like_ any of these monsters. None of them liked him and the ones that weren't probably thinking of him as a snack were even worse than the ones that did.

The tree shook without warning. Daisuke looked down and just managed to make out a small group of monsters, these about his size or so, and even through the shadows of night, he could see they were kind of gray furred and had big claws they were using to shake the tree with.

"We know you're up there!" One of them shouted. "Piemon-sama told us about you! Come on down here! We wanna _play_!"

For a moment Daisuke thought it might be all right. He liked to play. Maybe they knew soccer? Or maybe he could teach it to them.

But then he saw the claws again and the way they were staring at him with bright red eyes and heard their mean, nasty giggles, and he knew they were just like the big mean Digimon. They were all bullies. They were all monsters that just wanted to hurt him because he couldn't stop them.

 _I wish I could. I'd stop_ _ **all**_ _of them!_

He just didn't know how. But he _wanted_ to. Daisuke hated bullies.

He hated being cold and wet too and he couldn't do anything about that any more than he could about those furred bullies down below or the clown bully back at the castle. Daisuke tried hard not to sniff. He was _eight_. He was practically grown up! He wasn't going to cry! He didn't even have anything to cry about! He wanted to be _mad_! He had plenty to be _mad_ about!

"Hey! We said come down!" The tree shook again and Daisuke wrapped his arms around the trunk as far as he could.

"Stop that!" What did they think they were doing? Couldn't they just leave him alone? Didn't they have anyone else they could 'play' with?

All of them laughed. He couldn't count them all, but there were at least five or six of them.

"Don't you want to play with us?" The one who'd done most of the talking so far pointed up at him with one claw. "We're nice! We'll be your friends!"

Daisuke knew better than to believe _that_. Friends wouldn't be trying to shake him out of his nice comfortable tree. They'd be trying to help him get away from here and find his way home.

"Go away!" He hugged the tree harder. "I don't want to play with you!"

"We're not going away until you get down from here! And we're not the worst things around! There's a couple of Allomon roaming around and I bet you saw that Monochromon that's over by the creek, too!" The head monster tilted his head back and stared up at Daisuke. "I don't even know everything Piemon-sama has here. But you should know that every last one of them was told to find _you_."

That didn't surprise Daisuke in the slightest. It was all part of the clown monster's plan to make him be a good boy.

Daisuke didn't want to be a good boy. Not for him. For 'Piemon-sama', he'd be the worst boy that ever was.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,195|| **story:** 9,152  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an alternate timeline for Digimon Adventure 02.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

LadyDevimon hovered above the penned in area, watching. It was more than dark enough so she could trust to the shadows to keep her hidden from the boy as he clung to the tree trunk with all of his strength. It wouldn't be enough to keep him there forever, she knew. Already his grip was slipping and he'd fall to the Gazimon.

What happened after that would be up to him. She only wanted to figure out why she had known his name, why she could feel something connecting the two of them together. She did not _like_ not knowing things like this. It felt off. She needed to get this cleared up so she could focus on the duties that mattered: bringing this powerful Digimon under Piemon-sama's control.

Over and over she raked her memories, trying to find something that would make sense. In all of her long life, she didn't think she'd ever encountered a human before. They had no ties at all to one another. But the longer she watched him, the more she began to notice something that she didn't think the child himself had noticed.

 _He...reminds me of me._ Nothing at all in the attitude; they could not have been more different there if someone had planned it. But in certain areas, she could see echoes. They were both stubborn. She had devoted herself to her master, and he was devoted to not serving that same master.

That might not have been enough, but there were other tiny wisps that teased at her. The way that he tilted his head to the side. The focus of his attention when pushed against a corner. The scent that he was a Virus. That last wasn't such a surprise; Piemon-sama's detection spells told as much. But Viruses could recognized _related_ Viruses. She'd never known one like that before save Devimon.

Despite the difference in their strengths, she and Devimon had always considered one another brother and sister. She didn't miss him; he'd proven too weak in the end and had fallen. Perhaps he was in the Village of Beginnings, waiting to be reborn. If so, she hoped that he had better sense the next time around.

So if the only kin she'd ever known had been Devimon and this boy sparked the same kind of recognition in her that he did, what could that mean?

Her eyes narrowed in thought. She watched what was going on below more intently. The Gazimon had the tree shaking and Akigaramon looked ready to find somewhere new to hide. Another tree offered safety a short distance away. The Gazimon would see him; there wasn't any doubt of that. But she thought she understood his reasoning. The second tree hadn't had Gazimon shaking at it and looked sturdier anyway.

Movement swept through the air and she looked to see a Gigadramon hovering not that far away. It remained silent, one glance acknowledging her existence but not making a challenge. She understood at once this was another of Piemon-sama's servants, here to contribute to persuading the boy that serving their master was the only way.

"What do you think, LadyDevimon?" Piemon-sama himself appeared next to her, staring down as Akigaramon began to make his way over to the next tree. "Death or service?"

"I think he wants to live, but on his terms, not yours," LadyDevimon replied without hesitation. "He's stubborn."

"Hm, so he is." Piemon tapped his fingers on the side of his arm. "But I'm more so."

LadyDevimon would not doubt that at all. Whose stubbornness would win out in the end she couldn't as of yet guess. That hint of familiarity still tugged and teased at her, and she wanted to trace it down and find out where it came from.

 _Viruses can tell when they are connected. He is a Virus. So am I. I know I am connected to him, but not how or why._ She laid it all out to herself. _I have never met him before to my knowledge. He did not seem to know me at all._

That was the problem there. She didn't have a perfect memory but she thought she would have recognized meeting such a powerful being at any point in her life.

So since she didn't remember, that left two options: either she never had before and this familiarity came from something else altogether, or she had and someone could very well have adjusted her memories so that she _didn't_.

 _Who and why?_ She moved slightly to watch as the boy leaped, grabbing for a branch, and missing. With a terrified cry he fell down toward the Gazimon, who bunched up underneath him at once. Not out of kindness; there was little enough of that found in those Digimon. But now they had something to play with.

He thrashed around furiously, screaming in outrage as their claws dug into him, each one of them leaving streaks of blood down his arms and across his shoulders as they pushed him from one to the other, laughing and mocking with every breath they took.

 _I would destroy them all._ Of course, there wasn't the Gazimon hatched who would dare to attack her like that in the first place. But Akigaramon was still new. For all of his power, he had no more idea of how to use it or that it even existed than a freshly hatched Digimon would have.

Something sparked down below. LadyDevimon peered closer, wondering if the Gazimon, or some other Digimon, intended to start a fire. But it was where the Gazimon were, and she didn't see any signs they intended to set up a camp.

Sparks flew again. Not sparks, but little bits of energy, unshaped and raw. Beside her, Piemon-sama hissed in pleasure. She paid more attention, fascinated now.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Those seemed to be Akigaramon's favorite words, as he used them not just with the Gazimon but with her and Piemon-sama as well. He would learn better, she guessed. One didn't beg in this world. One took what one wanted, or one didn't have it at all.

"Nope! We're having too much fun!" The head Gazimon declared, striking at the boy with one clawed hand.

This time there weren't sparks. This time, she saw what happened very clearly.

Akigaramon thrust one hand out, eyes full of a fury that she'd seldom seen. From the wave of his hand, bright white winged creatures emerged, all of them converging on the Gazimon that surrounded him. In mere seconds, there was nothing at all left of them. Two words had fallen from his lips, words that made her shiver ever so slightly.

" _Bright Wing_!"

Her own default attack, Evil Wing, could have been the mirror of his. Or his was the mirror of hers. _Benign virus,_ she thought, part of her too shocked to think of what this could mean, only taking in the basics of it.

Piemon-sama, on the other hand, laughed with glee. "Perfect! Just perfect!"

LadyDevimon wasn't certain of that. But she knew now she needed to know more about what Digimon born of other Digimon were like.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Vamdemon, Piemon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,047|| **story:** 9,152  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an alternate timeline for Digimon Adventure 02.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Daisuke breathed harder and harder, though he didn't know if he were breathing in air or sheer terror. He knew what he was breathing out was absolute confusion, because what else could it possibly be? How had he done that? _People_ couldn't do that! Couldn't shoot things from their hands like this was some kind of television program or book.

Daisuke wrapped his arms around himself, then froze, wondering if it would happen again. Could he hurt himself like this?

When nothing happened for a few moments, he decided it was all right. At least for now.

That lasted only for a few seconds before a roar shook the ground around him and he snapped his head up to see another monster hovering in the skies. If he'd had the vocabulary for it, he would've said several words that would've probably gotten him grounded by his mother if she'd heard him.

Of course, if she could've heard him, then he wouldn't have been in this mess to start with.

He didn't know what to call all of the monsters, except very big and very scary. He hated the idea of running and the thought of throwing things out of his hands was something he hated even worse. But running would probably not help that much either. Not here, not in this place where everyone that he met wanted to eat him or worse.

He planted his feet. He stared up at the monster as it began to move down toward him. The very back of his mind noticed how graceful it was. These monsters weren't monstrous.

"Leave me _alone_!" Into those words he put all of his strength, all of his anger, all of his frustration, everything that flowed in his veins now poured out of his hands, bright as sunrise, pure as rage, and he found that he could control it. Use it. Wield it the way that he wanted to.

He didn't know how he could do it. He only knew that he could. And that to do so was to save his own life. Not to do so meant that he would die out here.

Daisuke wasn't ready to die. He hadn't seen enough of the world. He hadn't met all the people that he wanted. He hadn't _done enough_.

This world wasn't going to kill him. He'd find a way to live in it, if he had to, and he'd find a way to go home, if he could.

Energy wrapped around the monster and it screamed and howled, thrashing in the grip of Daisuke's power like a worm on a hook, before throwing its head back and letting out one last cry of pain before it evaporated.

Daisuke sank to his knees, breathing harder and harder, barely able to move now. His stomach roared louder than it ever had before, and he trembled as memory surged back in, sharp and cold and painful.

 _The door will open only under two conditions. First, you call yourself by your true name. The second is that you must demonstrate your powers before I will let you back inside._

With heavy steps and a heavier heart, Daisuke made his way through the rain-soaked trees, dripping himself, stomach demanding food and lots of it, and trembling in every inch of himself.

Staring up at the huge doors, he hesitated. _I'm going to have to do what he says._

He didn't know what the big mean nasty Digimon would want him to do, but he would have to do it. Daisuke was eight, but he understood some things. This was a bargain, an agreement. His dad had always told him that he should stick to the bargains that he made.

Slowly he knocked on the door, his heart sinking more with every moment. Then he breathed in again and hoped to find some courage in there.

"M-my name… is Akigaramon." It wasn't. His name was Motomiya Daisuke. He would not forget that, no matter what else happened to him. This was just … a nickname. Yeah. That was it. Like when Jun called him 'squirt'. Only kind of worse.

Slowly the doors swung open. On the other side there stood both of those monsters, the clown monster and the lady monster. The clown monster waited and Daisuke steeled himself.

"S-sir, I'm really, really hungry." He could feel tears prick at his eyes and fought them back. He was not gonna cry. He _wasn't_.

"Then come in, Akigaramon," the clown said. "And ask politely for your dinner."

Daisuke pulled himself inside, the doors closing behind him as they'd opened, with no hand to touch them. Then he looked up at the clown again, trying to remember what it was like to talk to his parents.

"M-may I have something to eat, please, sir?" He thought his mom and dad would've liked his manners, even if he didn't like saying it.

"Follow me," the clown said, and floated down the hallway. Daisuke scurried after, casting a quick glance toward the lady monster as he did.

She looked back at him as he did, and Daisuke bit back a startled yelp as he followed. She was so _weird_. It kind of felt like he should know her.

Daisuke knew that he didn't know any monsters. But if he knew one that could cook, he would gladly make friends with it, if he got to share some of the food.

The clown monster led him to a room with a table and chair. Resting on the table was a bowl of soup and a cup of something warm and liquid. Daisuke darted over to it as soon as he spied it, babbling out a quick thanks for the food, and started to gulp it down.

The clown waited until he'd nearly finished before he spoke again. Daisuke had almost forgotten that he was there at all.

"So long as you do as you are told, you will eat regularly. Do you understand?"

Daisuke bit his lip and nodded, fingers trembling on the spoon. His parents hadn't ever kept him from a meal as a punishment, but he'd heard about some who did. And until he could go home, it looked like these two were as close to parents as he would get.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,145|| **story:** 11,334  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an 02-based sequel that will involve Ken x Daisuke. I also removed Vamdemon from the character note up there because he won't really be as involved as I thought he would be. After all, it's probably barely been half an hour, if that, since he sent Daisuke through to the Digital World. I seem to recall one minute on Earth being one day in the Digital World. So how long wilL Daisuke be in the Digital World before the Chosen come back? We'll just have to see, won't we?  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

"Again." Piemon's voice held no hint of compromise, not that it ever did. Akigaramon screwed up his face, concentrated, and swept his arms out one more time. In the wake of the movement came his attack, crushing the targets as he had every other time.

LadyDevimon watched from her station, scarlet eyes showing not a single hint of anything but praise for Piemon's teaching methods. Akigaramon needed to learn how to control his abilities and the sooner he mastered them, the better. Sooner or later, the Chosen would return, and he would be standing in the forefront of the battle against them.

Soon it would be time for her own lesson with him, one that she hadn't expected to teach, but finding that he had the same ability to fly that she did put her in that role. Piemon could do so as well, but he already ran Akigaramon's lessons in every other way. It was the least she could do to take some of the burden off of him.

With a wave of Piemon's hand, a new set of targets appeared, this time in the precise form of the seven Chosen Children and the Child forms of their partners.

"These are the enemies that you will face one day," Piemon instructed his student. "I want to be certain you can destroy them."

Akigaramon's gaze flicked from the targets to his master. "But those aren't real." He bit his lip, looking back at them. "I mean, they can't do anything but stand there."

Piemon's smile sliced across his face like the blade of a knife. "Don't be so certain, Akigaramon. Not everything is what it seems."

With another flick of his fingers, the targets began to move around. All of them focused on the young boy, a look in their eyes that LadyDevimon recognized as intent to kill. How many Digimon had seen that look directed toward them, she wondered?

Plenty, at least from her point of view. And now Akigaramon saw it turned toward him. He would have to fight. He would learn to fight until Piemon was satisfied with his training.

That would take years. But that was fine. Vamdemon would keep them occupied in Earth for more than long enough. He'd already done so for long enough that a good portion of the Digital World remained firmly under the control of the Dark Masters.

Piemon's plan was brilliant, if he said so himself, and he had more than once already. With the Chosen gone, he was free to conquer the world. If Vamdemon won on Earth, then he would return to take up a position in Piemon's imperial court. If the Chosen won, then they would return, and Piemon would handily and easily destroy them. His plans hadn't changed that much since the arrival of Akigaramon, except to slowly learn what the young Digimon could do and how to factor that into future plans.

She watched as he darted this way and that, stumbling over his own feet more than once. Piemon kept at him ruthlessly, allowing him time to eat and rest, but that was all. Training occupied Akigaramon's every waking moment. LadyDevimon knew that once he had a basic mastery of his abilities, then other lessons would be added, since Piemon refused to let anyone whose raising he had a hand in be a blithering idiot.

Perhaps if he'd raised Pinnochimon, then he wouldn't be such a one. But LadyDevimon kept her opinion of the Dark Master to herself. He had a temper, after all.

Movement caught her eye and she was not surprised now to see Pinnochimon himself lurking in one of the dark corners, watching as Piemon and Akigaramon trained together.

"When did he get a new toy and why didn't he tell me about it?" Pinnochimon grumbled when he realized LadyDevimon saw him. She shrugged.

"Vamdemon sent him. He's a very powerful Digimon." Best to make certain Pinnochimon knew not to bother with this one. Their best estimates of Akigaramon's power were that he was a Perfect level, but he might well be able to evolve one day. One could never be too certain with that handful of Digimon who were born instead of hatched.

Pinnochimon pouted again, staring down hungrily at Akigaramon as he moved through the animated targets. He wasn't at his best; he'd been going at this training since noon and would have to stop sooner or later. Piemon pushed him a little harder and a little farther every single day, setting new standards and insisting that Akigaramon reach them. If he didn't, punishment was swift and severe. But Akigaramon seemed to have learned from his first few days that Piemon was not one to be disobeyed, even without meaning to.

"When can _I_ play with him?" Pinnochimon demanded, stomping one foot and yelling loud enough for Piemon to hear him. Both Akigaramon and the leader of the Dark Masters turned at his shout and LadyDevimon moved back out of the immediate blast range. Let Pinnochimon handle this himself.

"Akigaramon is not a toy for you to play with," Piemon said, rising up to stare down at the other. "He is my servant and you will leave him be."

Akigaramon shifted back on his heels, exhaustion written all over him. LadyDevimon remained where she could get a good view of them all. Whatever happened, it was bound to be interesting.

Pinnochimon didn't look convinced by what Piemon said. He took a better grip on his mallet and grinned maliciously. "Well, if he's your servant, then he'd better be tough enough to stand up to some pounding!"

Before Piemon or LadyDevimon could say a word, Pinnochimon slammed the mallet three times, one to each side of Akigaramon and once on top of him. All three hits connected; LadyDevimon could see each one perfectly well. Akigaramon fell forward, a small noise of pain coming from him, and Pinnochimon snorted.

"Man, he's no fun at all. Can't even take some light taps."

Piemon rose even higher, his swords appearing in his hands for the briefest of moments before he slashed at his subordinate, a low roar of anger raging out. "How _dare_ you attack my property?!"

Pinnochimon scrambled away, useless babbling spilling from his lips, before he stopped and stared at something behind Piemon. LadyDevimon's gaze followed and when she realized what she saw, she could hardly believe it. Piemon spun to stare as well, almost daring Pinnochimon to try to hit him in the back if he had the nerve.

Akigaramon sat up. Blinked a few times, staring down at himself. The blows he'd taken would've killed a human and would've likely knocked most Digimon down to their Child level, if not lower.

He moved his hands a little, then levered himself up to his feet and looked over at Pinnochimon. "That… kinda tickled a little?"

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,089|| **story:** 12,423  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse and will lead to an 02-based sequel that will involve Ken x Daisuke. I also removed Vamdemon from the character note up there because he won't really be as involved as I thought he would be. After all, it's probably barely been half an hour, if that, since he sent Daisuke through to the Digital World. I seem to recall one minute on Earth being one day in the Digital World. So how long will Daisuke be in the Digital World before the Chosen come back? We'll just have to see, won't we? **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Daisuke hadn't been able to see the blows coming. He'd barely realized there was someone else there. He'd already been worn out from how long he'd been training in the first place – Piemon didn't give him that much time to rest. If Daisuke even asked for more, he was told sternly that in a battle, he wouldn't get to take a nap.

Daisuke was quickly becoming of the mind that if that were the case, then he wanted to end battles as fast as he could, so he _could_ go take a nap.

Unfortunately, that did mean more training, so he'd get strong enough to end fights fast. He didn't like it. He didn't like _anything_ about this new life of his, which had scarcely gone on for a week. But what other choice did he have?

Now he looked down at himself, then looked over to where the other Digimon stood. Digimon, he reminded himself, not monsters. Even if Piemon was one.

"What?" He could see the way that they stared back at him, as if he'd done something unusual. The hits had been hard, yes, but they hadn't really hurt him, just knocked him flat for a minute or two.

Piemon stood next to him a heartbeat later, and Daisuke froze at once. He knew the look on Piemon's face: he was not to move or speak until and unless given permission. Piemon punished hard and fast and without mercy.

The taller Digimon looked him over, making a few passes that Daisuke had come to understand meant he was working magic. Then he looked back to LadyDevimon.

"Just a few bruises and those should fade before morning." Piemon frowned back at Daisuke, then gestured abruptly. "Go to your room. Don't leave until morning. Dinner will be delivered."

Daisuke held back a sigh. At least he got to rest. He didn't want to protest; Piemon might decide that he shouldn't get it after all. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been told to rest, argued about it, and not gotten it after all.

So he nodded his head quickly to both Piemon and LadyDevimon and hurried along the route he knew so well after days of it, going from the training room to his tiny little room.

At least it was kind of better than a dungeon, but it wasn't like his room at home. Daisuke didn't want to think of _this_ place as home, no matter how long he stayed here. And he didn't want to stay more than he had to. He missed his real room. He missed his parents, his sister, his classmates…

He hoped they were all right. _That vampire monster better not have done anything to them._ Vamdemon; he knew the creature's name was now. He'd heard Piemon and LadyDevimon talking about him. He'd guessed already that they knew each other. It didn't make this place any better.

 _I wish they'd tell me things. Like why I can do those things I can do._ He didn't entirely want to believe that he was a Digimon too, no matter how much he could sling power around. It didn't make sense. He didn't understand it.

He settled himself in his room, the door locking behind him without him having to do a thing to it. That happened every time he came in here. He figured it was more of Piemon's magic. He had no idea of everything the clown could do, but it was enough to keep him in here when Piemon wanted him in here.

Daisuke sat down on his bed, stretched out, stared up at the ceiling, and sighed.

 _Well, this is kind of better than school, at least? I miss soccer, though._ He would've given almost anything to have a soccer ball and someone to kick it around with. That puppet guy looked kind of fun and maybe if he had someone to play with, he wouldn't start hitting people.

Daisuke knew his mom would've grounded him if he'd gone around hitting people for no reason at all. Or even if he'd had a reason. Hitting people was not a good idea, she'd said over and over. He wasn't always sure if he agreed with her, because he would have dearly loved to plant one in the vampire monster's eye, or in Piemon's.

He kind of thought that she'd make an exception for them. She just wouldn't want him to be the one who did it.

 _What does he want from all of this? From me?_ All he'd managed to learn so far was that Piemon had enemies and he wanted Daisuke trained well enough to fight those enemies _for_ him. Just who those enemies were and why Piemon didn't want to fight them himself, Daisuke didn't have the foggiest idea.

* * *

Gennai looked over the results from his latest scans of the Digital World. He knew that he'd have to go into hiding sooner or later, to keep himself from being caught by Piemon and his Dark Masters. But the time wasn't yet. Nearing, but not yet.

 _At least I can still keep in touch with Koushirou and his friends._ They would still need his help. It was difficult to reach to the human world and find out what was going on there, with the time difference stretching matters as it did, but so far as he could tell, they were still fighting Vamdemon. They would need the prophecy soon.

He'd already begun a search for new Chosen Children. He liked having a nice pool of them ready to choose from, in case of any new threats rising. It didn't matter to him that the current one hadn't been disposed of yet. He had faith in the ones working now. They'd manage things.

A small beep caught his attention. It was not a happy beep, but a warning that one of his long ago sensors had been tripped.

Checking it out didn't make matters better. _How did they find him?_ He'd gone to so much trouble to make certain that this, of all people, did not return to the Digital World before it was time. And it _was_ before time, by years.

He would've much preferred it if he hadn't returned to the Digital World until he was fully grown, and capable of understanding what he was and mastering his powers without the risks that doing so presented.

And worst of all, the sensor told Gennai just where this most dangerous of children was.

Right in the heart of Piemon's castle.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,045|| **story:** 13,468  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

As much fun as could be had watching Piemon verbally shred Pinnochimon – and slice a few splinters off of him at the same time – LadyDevimon could not completely get her mind off her current situation. She'd done as much research as she could to find out why Akigaramon's attack so closely mirrored her own. What she'd found sent a combination of chills and rage all through her. She needed it confirmed, however, and there was only one way she could do that.

"Akigaramon belongs to me. He is _my_ servant, _my_ property, and you will only have anything to do with him _if_ I choose to allow it." Piemon declared, one foot keeping Pinnochimon pinned down while he stared at his subordinate Dark Master. "Do I make myself clear?"

Pinnochimon didn't try to wiggle. Everyone knew that Piemon was perfectly capable of destroying all three of the other Dark Masters, either alone or in any combination. He tried to reach for his mallet, but Piemon kept it out of his reach, grinding down further at the same time.

"Do I make myself clear?" Piemon did not often repeat himself. This time he backed up the question with the tip of one Trump Sword at Pinnochimon's throat. Slowly the master of the forest nodded. "Good. Now get out of here before I decide to use you for firewood."

Pinnochimon made himself quite scarce, pouting the whole way. LadyDevimon moved closer to Piemon.

"He'll want some kind of 'revenge' for that." She'd been around them all long enough to have an idea of how Pinnochimon thought. If one could call what he did thinking.

Piemon shrugged. "He can try but it won't make any difference. Even now, Akigaramon can beat him." He turned a more thoughtful look on her. "What is it?"

She launched into her problem right away. "I feel there's a stronger connection between me and Akigaramon than we've uncovered so far. His strongest attack mirrors mine almost exactly, he _is_ a Virus, like I am, and there are moments when I feel he even resembles me to a small point."

Stated out loud, it didn't seem as strong as she'd thought it was, but Piemon merely nodded, a thoughtful gleam in his scarlet eyes

"It won't take long to find out," he said. "Come along. I still have samples from when he first arrived."

She followed him to the examination room, a slowly rising sense of dread and anticipation mixing all through her. She wanted to know the truth, but at the same time, if it was what she thought it was, then _how_ could it be?

Piemon took samples from her and began his work, whispering the spells that would reveal connections between what came from her and what came from Akigaramon. LadyDevimon watched, forcing herself to remain outwardly calm and stable. No matter what, this was just a search for information.

A pure white cloud folded itself around the two samples as Piemon ended his spell. "When the results reveal themselves, the cloud will change color," he told her. "Black if there is no connection at all, blue is there is a weak connection, red if there is a very strong one."

Neither of them spoke as long moments passed. LadyDevimon began to wonder if something had gone wrong, when the smoke billowed and curled, then suddenly turned the most vibrant shade of blood red that she'd ever seen in her life.

Piemon's eyes widened as well, if only for a moment. "The last time I saw something like this was when I tested one of those Chosen to determine if he was indeed my son," he said, his voice far steadier than LadyDevimon's could've been in that moment. "The connection could not be any stronger. It would be the same one that Anbumon and I share." He looked at her. "Akigaramon is your son, LadyDevimon."

LadyDevimon's lips closed together, fingers twitching with the need to shred something. "That isn't possible." It couldn't be. She knew well that she'd never spent any time gravid. It was something that she would have _remembered_.

Piemon indicated the red cloud. "Dare you say that I'm wrong?"

She flinched from that. "No, Piemon-sama. I wouldn't say that." She shook her head, sparks of energy running all over her as she tried her best to put her thoughts in order. "But I don't know how it's possible." Another question sparked. "And who would the… father be?"

That perhaps could be more important than anything else. If they could figure out Akigaramon's heritage, then it would help in learning what he was capable of. His training had been going very well so far, but the more he could do, the better.

Piemon considered that, his gaze falling back to the smoke circling the vials that held their samples. "That I do not know. But I believe that I know who _might_ know."

In his hands, a small knife appeared and he tested the edge of it: sharp as the wind. "And I also believe I know how to persuade him tell me what I want to know."

* * *

There had to be a way to get Akigaramon out of there. Gennai spoke to as many of his allies as he could, being careful of how he framed the question. Almost no one knew of Akigaramon's existence and of those who did, even fewer knew of his true nature or what it could mean for the Digital World if his father ever found a way to claim him.

No, not father. That wasn't a word Gennai wanted to use in this situation. _Creator_ came much closer and he still didn't like it, but there wasn't anything else he found fitting.

He made his way through the woods, watching everywhere he could to make certain that no one saw him. The reign of the Dark Masters extended into so many places and expanded every day, so it was almost impossible to know which areas were safe and which weren't.

"Hello, Gennai." Before he had a chance to do anything, Piemon's Trump Swords spun toward him, knocking him back and pinning him to a wide trunked tree. The mad clown hovered in front of him, smiling. "We have something to talk about."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,197|| **story:** 14,665  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Gennai had always known Piemon was fast. He'd never dreamed just _how_ fast until now. He tugged at the knives holding him to the tree to no avail. Not that he'd expected Piemon to let him get out of this easily. Perhaps not at all.

But he tilted his head up and met those mad scarlet eyes head on. "What is it that you want?"

"I have one question and I'm quite certain if anyone in all of the Digital World knows the answer, then it's you." Another knife appeared in Piemon's hands, now pressed against Gennai's throat. "Answer me truthfully and I might _think_ about sparing you. For now."

Gennai steeled himself. His back twinged, more than he wanted to let on. Piemon smiled a slow smile and waited for his answer.

"What is it you want to know?" He had a strong suspicion that he knew, but perhaps, just perhaps Piemon had somehow already figured it out or didn't care, so there would be something else. He hoped that between those two options, it would be 'didn't care'.

"As I am _certain_ you know by now, Akigaramon is in my care." Piemon's smile turned dark and foreboding. "And he is becoming very skilled with his abilities. Which mirror those of LadyDevimon, as well they should."

Gennai twitched. This was not looking good for what he'd hoped. Piemon nodded.

"I'm aware of their connection. But now I ask you this: if LadyDevimon is his mother, then _who is his father_?" Piemon pressed the blade tighter against Gennai's neck, until a small drop of blood appeared. "And don't tell me that you don't know. I want the truth."

Gennai did not take his eyes away from Piemon. The question that he'd hoped he'd never have to answer had been asked. He had doubly hoped that no one like Piemon would ask it. If anyone, he'd wanted to explain matters to Akigaramon himself. If anyone had the first right to know, it was him.

But no. Piemon made his demands and there would have to be answers.

Piemon's blade pressed a trifle closer. "Answer me. _Now_."

"You won't believe me." Gennai didn't _want_ to tell Piemon who it was. Telling would reveal far more about Akigaramon than he wanted anyone to know until the boy was old enough and strong enough to defend himself from anyone who would want to make use of him.

The way Piemon already was. That wish would likely not get granted.

"Tell me anyway. I'll decide if I believe you or not." Piemon did not dig the blade in deeper but his smile did nothing at all for his sanity. "Or I could bring him here and you can see what I can do to him until you tell me what I want to know."

Piemon had to know that wouldn't accomplish much. He wouldn't be here if he hadn't noticed some of Akigaramon's more unusual attributes. But Gennai knew he couldn't delay for more than a few more seconds. Better to get it over with. Perhaps Piemon really wouldn't believe him. The less he knew, the better.

"The being responsible for his existence is known as Apocalymon."

Piemon's eyes narrowed. Gennai didn't expect it to be familiar to him, so he kept going before more questions, and more violence, could ensue. "He is a Digimon, but one that is created from the accumulation of all the failed data of those Digimon who attempted to evolve and didn't make it." There wasn't anything Piemon could do with _this_ information, so it caused no harm to give it to him. "He has an even looser grip on sanity than _you_ do."

That got him smacked against the tree again, but Gennai only gave a bit of a grin.

"Then what did he want a child for?"

"He didn't. He never expected Akigaramon to have a will of his own. Look at the meaning of his name: _empty shell_. That is what he was meant to be, a soulless, willess vessel for Apocalymon's power, should it ever be needed."

Piemon didn't look impressed, but Gennai did know it took a lot to impress Piemon anyway. "What else do you know?"

"That the Chosen Children are going to return and defeat you and your so-called Dark Masters?" Gennai could not resist answering like that. Piemon slammed him against the tree yet again, rage filling his eyes.

"Don't play games with me, Gennai. I want to know about Akigaramon. What do you know?" His eyes gleamed brighter and brighter. "Tell me or I'll have to find out on my own, by experimenting on the boy myself. I've already seen that it's all but impossible to cause him physical damage. He took some of Pinnochimon's hardest mallet hits and thought it _tickled_."

Gennai tried not to look interested. He shifted as best that he could, though the knives kept him pinned hard enough that he had little luck doing anything. "Yes, Apocalymon can heal from virtually anything, or so my research indicates. It would make sense that he would ensure his future vessel would have the same ability and toughness." He did not like calling Akigaramon, or Motomiya Daisuke, Apocalymon's son. He didn't have much experience with fathers and sons, but he suspected they had nothing to do with what Apocalymon wanted from the being that he'd made.

"What else?"

Gennai shook his head. "I know only a very little about what he could do. He will be able to evolve once he's strong enough and has better control of his abilities. But I don't know what all of his powers will be or what else he might be able to do." That was the truth; he'd sent Akigaramon to the human world so that no one would be able to tell that he was a Digimon in the first place and try to use him the way that Apocalymon wanted to.

 _It looks like that's fallen through altogether, though._ He would have to let the Chosen know about this. He didn't think much time had passed on their side of reality. They were probably still fighting Vamdemon. But they needed to know what they could expect when they returned, and a fully trained warrior Akigaramon, subservient to Piemon's will, was not what they needed. Not at all.

Piemon now held his full Trump Swords in his hands as he eyed Gennai. "I believe you know better than to lie to me. But I also believe you don't have any further purpose in existing. You already made me angry twice before, taking Anbumon and Akogimon away from me."

Gennai wasn't surprised at all that Piemon didn't mention Vamdemon's son or Devimon's daughter. And he thanked every benevolent force he could think of that he didn't seem to know about Leomon's son or Hououmon's daughter. At least _she_ hadn't yet heard of the Digital World. She would probably be safe.

And yet he'd thought the same for Akigaramon.

The boy needed a better name than that. But Gennai thought he had other problems at the moment. One very specific problem called Piemon.

The clown Digimon raised his weapons. "Good-bye."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 14: 1,092|| **story:** 15,757  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

"Lion King Sword!" Leomon slashed down from behind Piemon, who ducked and dodged at a speed that spared him being injured, but cost him his position over Piemon.

The evil clown whirled, eyes sparking scarlet, and glared at the new arrival. "No one invited you to this discussion, Leomon!"

"I invited myself!" Leomon retorted. He wasn't nearly on Piemon's level, but faced the twisted Digimon without a shred of fear. "Gennai, are you all right?"

Gennai shrugged as best that he could. "I could be better."

Piemon snorted, flicking his own swords away with a twitch of his wrists. "I've gained what I came for anyway. I can kill you whenever I want."

"No, you can't," Leomon replied. "Because I won't allow it. There are still Digimon who are ready to fight you, Piemon. You will never rule the Digital World."

Piemon threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing from all around them. "You might want to look around a little more, Leomon. Because I _do_ rule the Digital World. But we'll meet another day." He smirked. "I think I'll save the both of you for Akigaramon. Defeating you will be child's play for him once I've finished his training."

And with no more than that, he vanished, heading back to his castle. Leomon and Gennai remained still for a handful of minutes, waiting to see if he returned or caused any more trouble. Only when nothing had happened did Leomon move forward to release Gennai from being pinned to the tree.

"Akigaramon?" Leomon asked once all the knives had been pried out. They vanished as soon as they were, probably returning to wherever Piemon kept them when not trying to slash up other people. "I've never heard of that Digimon before."

"I'd rather hoped that no one would have," Gennai said, brushing himself off. "The fact that Piemon has him puts us at a huge disadvantage."

Leomon gave the old man a stern look. "Tell me more." There wasn't even a shred of asking in his tone. Gennai knew better than to try to keep this from him, not when Piemon already knew as much as he did. So he didn't even try.

The telling of the tale took from then until they arrived back at Gennai's home, both of them watching carefully to make certain they weren't being observed. Gennai did not look forward to having to move, but with Piemon having his eye around, it would not be safe to stay here.

"I would say the wisest course of action is to infiltrate Piemon's castle and retrieve the child, then," Leomon declared as they entered. "He must learn to control his powers, of course, but not under Piemon's guidance."

Gennai nodded, more tired than he cared to admit right now. "Such a task won't be easy." That put it somewhat mildly. Piemon's defenses were incredibly hard to work through. He hadn't even been able to manage it and he'd tried many times before.

"But it must be done," Leomon said. He would not back down from something, no matter what.

Gennai nodded, sinking down onto one of his cushions. "It can't be just the two of us." They would need something on the order of a small army to get in there and get Akigaramon out, preferably without Piemon shredding them alive.

"There are others we can ask. Many have just been waiting for a chance to do something against Piemon, and this will be a good first strike." The idea of leaving a vulnerable child with Piemon clearly did not sit well with Leomon. Gennai would not have argued on this even if he could have.

"We have plans to make, then."

* * *

Piemon slid back to his castle, mind alive with information and possibilities. To think that this was even possible! He'd never heard of Apocalymon before, but the idea that one could create life like that? Could make it just to one's desires and specifications? How fascinating!

He still didn't have a complete idea of just what Akigaramon's abilities could be, but that gave him more ideas than anything else. If the child could not be pinned down to anything yet, then there were so many chances he could do anything! And that would give Piemon the advantage that he'd wanted.

The Chosen Children would return sooner or later, probably sooner. The only thing that would stop them would be if Vamdemon defeated them, and in deepest truth, Piemon didn't expect that. Vamdemon was powerful, but did not have the skills in using his power that Piemon felt necessary.

He'd tried to tell the vampire to train, and he had, for a time. But these days…

Well, that just meant Piemon needed to be ready when they returned. And ready he would be, with a fully trained and obedient Akigaramon at his service.

* * *

Daisuke napped, enjoying the break from his training. Piemon would be back eventually, he knew, and it would all start up again, probably harder. He didn't know where the evil clown had gone or why he'd gone there, but he did know that training got harder every time. All he could do was just suck it up and keep going. It was the only way he could stay fed and have a roof over his head.

In his dreams, he saw other people. He saw his parents and Jun, and he missed them. He saw people he didn't know or only knew a very little, like Yagami Taichi, and he missed them too. He wanted to be with them. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was.

He saw someone else, too, someone who scared him even more than Piemon did. A slash of white teeth, terrifying eyes, and a voice that sent chills through him from head to foot.

 _Nothing but an empty shell, that is what you are,_ he could hear a voice saying. A voice he didn't know, but would've responded to no matter what anyway. _Your fate only to serve others. To serve me, when the time comes. Do not fight it. You are what you are._

Daisuke struggled in his sleep, shaking his head. _No!_ The single word held everything that he felt about being trapped here, finding out he was something he'd never even heard of before, at being told he wasn't _himself_ at all.

There was only laughter in response, and then Piemon was there, and Daisuke was awake. And it was time to train again.

And as always, it was harder than before.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Digimon Adventure  
 **Title:** Out of Line  
 **Characters:** Daisuke, Piemon, LadyDevimon  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,171|| **story:** 16,923  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Friendship|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I19, a multichapter with chapters between 1000-2000 words; Written for the One Character Boot Camp, prompt #30, seize  
 **Notes:** This takes place in my breeds-verse.  
 **Summary:** During Vamdemon's invasion of Odaiba, he finds something strange about one of the children suspected of being the Eighth Child. While Daisuke isn't the Chosen that he's looking for, he is something special indeed, and finding out what it is could tip the balance in the war.

* * *

Jun's heart lodged in her throat as she searched her way through the building, looking at every face she could see and hoping it would be the one she wanted to see the most.

But none of them were. Faces of every kind, boys and girls, and yet none of them _that_ face, none of them her annoying little brother.

Where was he? Where could he even be? He'd been taken away into that line of children that the monsters were looking at and she hadn't seen him since. She'd seen other kids that had been in the line, but not him.

She'd heard whispers, though. Whispers of a kid who'd been taken out of the line by the head monster and no one knew what had happened to him. She didn't want that to be true. She especially didn't want it to be true about Daisuke.

So she'd volunteered to search around for her brother, while her parents recovered from all of the confusing things going on and waited for her to bring him back.

How could she even tell them that she couldn't find him? That he'd vanished into thin air and she had no more idea of where he'd end up being than she did of what her grades would be on her next history test.

She could probably guess her grade with better luck, for that matter. Because Daisuke had just _vanished_ , almost as if he hadn't existed to start with. And she knew that he had; she'd put up with too much of him being annoying for him not to exist.

Jun didn't know how many rooms this building had and she stopped counting or caring after a while. They had one thing in common and that alone mattered: they didn't have Daisuke.

Finally, with every room exhausted and no sign of him at all, she made her way back out and slumped against the door after closing it. _What am I going to tell Mom and Dad?_ She'd thought about that before, but never seriously. Not with the knowledge that she would have to tell them something.

Slowly she tilted her head back, trying to think of anywhere else he could be. Had he run out and gotten lost? Was he already back with their parents and laughing about how she was going around aimlessly looking for him?

She began to push herself forward when something caught her attention: streaks of light coursing across the sky, but like no aurora she'd ever seen in books or pictures. And on the other side of those streaks, a world like nothing she'd ever imagined before.

Her eyes widened at the sight. It grew worse when she could see monsters roaming around on the other side and was one of those monsters _coming through_?

Jun swallowed and her fears stuck in her throat. A slow idea dawned through her mind and she wanted to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't happening and couldn't be. But it was the only possible answer that made any form of sense, as much as she didn't want it to.

She almost didn't notice herself wandering through the rubble left behind by the battle; she was just that busy staring up at this strange new sight. Then she noticed something, that she wasn't the only one staring. Frankly, it wasn't that uncommon. Almost everyone she could see was looking up as if they'd never seen anything like this in all their lives.

Jun had only lived thirteen years, but she was also fairly certain that she _hadn't_ seen anything like this in all of her life.

But one group of watchers looked a little different than the others. Part of it was how serious they looked about it all, as if they knew a little more about what was going on up there than anyone else did.

Part of it was because each and every one of them had a small monster of some kind with them, and they were looking up there too.

She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she got the idea that they were planning on going somewhere, and from the way they kept staring up, she knew where it had to be.

"Wait!" She hurried over there before she could even finish thinking about it all the way through. "Take me with you! If you're going up there, take me with you!"

All eight of them – or sixteen if you counted the monsters – swiveled to look at her. The guy with the heap of brown hair and goggles started to shake his head.

"We can't. At least I don't think we can. But it's dangerous there."

"Why would you want to go?" One of the girls asked. She wore a cowboy kind of dress and a wide brimmed hat that Jun had never seen anyone else wearing before.

Jun crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I'm pretty sure that my brother is up there! That vampire thing took him off somewhere and no one's seen him since and since that's where the monsters come from, I bet that's where he is!"

All of the group exchanged a lot of glances. Jun wasn't going to take no for an answer. Not for a moment.

"Who is your brother?" One of the other guys, this one a blond with pretty blue eyes, asked her.

"Motomiya Daisuke. I'm Motomiya Jun," Jun told them. She started to move closer to them. "And I'm going with you." She didn't care that she didn't have a monster. She didn't care that she wasn't a part of their cool kids club. They didn't know Daisuke. They didn't know anything at all about him and she did.

A short redhead spoke up. "I don't think those who aren't supposed to go to the Digital World can go there. I can't say for certain without more research, though. Perhaps you can try, and if you can't, then we'll find your brother for you?"

Jun wanted to tell him that their lives weren't experiments and she'd never trust anyone who wasn't her to find her brother. But the words were stolen from her throat when light began to encircle them all, and gravity became a thing that didn't affect her anymore as she and all of those kids and their monsters began to rise up into the air, aiming for that circle in the sky.

Adults gathered below, parents to the kids, she guessed, as they shouted and waved, and the kids waved back, promising to come home soon and to take care of each other.

And then _her_ parents were there, eyes round with fear and shock. "Jun! Jun, where's Daisuke? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find him!" Jun waved as she called back. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon!"

She didn't know if it was true. But they would be home and she would have Daisuke, and whatever those monsters did to him, Motomiya Jun would make certain they regretted it.

 **The End**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Note:** The _first_ sequel to this will involve how the events of the Dark Masters arc fall out with Daisuke on Piemon's side. The _second_ sequel will involve 02 and the Kaiser and Daisuke.


End file.
